Means for controlling infant&#39;s hands



Sept- 1957 G. P. STRELAKOS mm, 2,806,472

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING INFANT'S HANDS Filed May 4, 1955 F igmv u onsUnited States Patent MEANS FOR CONTROLLING INFANTS HANDS George P.Strelakos and George Cockoros, Stamford, Conn.

Application May 4, 1955, Serial No. 505,996

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-134) This invention relates to means for controllingan infants hands, particularly to restrain the infants hands while it isbeing fed. It is often rather difficult to feed an infant solid foodbecause it reaches out and takes hold of the spoon, for example, andspills its contents, and further, will not let go of the spoon or otherutensil. To prevent this, a mother may hold the infant on her lapagainst her body with one arm toward the back between her and theinfant, and then hold the other arm firmly with her hand while she feedsthe infant. Therefore she is herself restraining her infant physically,t0 the discomfort of both of them.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to overcome thediscomforts for both mother and child by providing a support which maybe, for example, in the form of a bib-like member, with a covering meansfor the hands, such, for example, as pockets or a muff, and side strapsor loops at the opposite sides thereof mounted on the support to embracethe childs wrists and retain them at the front of the support with thehands in the covering means, so that the hands are thus held in such amanner that the infant is unable to interfere with the feedingoperation. Toys or something soft may be secured in the pocket, muff orother covering means with which the infant may play while the hands areso held and enclosed, thereby drawing the childs attention to thearticle and avoiding struggling. Thus neither the mother nor the infantwill experience any discomfort.

It is also an object to provide such a device which will be of simpleconstruction and attractive in appearance, and in which the hands can beeasily secured or released.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, we have devised theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part ofthis specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention isnot limited to the specific details of construction and arrangementshown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scopeof the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. l is a front view of one form of this device embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front view showing the application or use of the device;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a somewhat modifiedconstruction;

Fig. 5 is a side view thereof, and

Fig. 6 is a front view showing another modified construction.

The device comprises a supporting means in the form of a support withmeans, preferably ties, for securing it at the front of the childs body,and on this support is provided means for restraining and holding thechilds hands, preferably means for embracing the childs wrists to secureits hands to prevent its interfering with such operations as a feedingoperation. It is also preferred to provide some means for covering andenclosing the ice hands so held, and mounting within this enclosingmeans something for the child to play with to distract its attentionwhile the hands are so restrained and thus prevent the tendency for itto struggle or object to this restraining means. These differentmodifications of the device are shown.

In the form of Figs. 1 and 2, the supporting means or support comprisesa bib-like garment or member 10 of any suitable material such, forexample, as a suitable fabric or plastic, provided with means forsecuring it to the front of a childs body, such, for example, as ties 11at the top for tying around the childs neck and ties 12 secured to theopposite sides and adapted to be tied around the childs body, preferablythe waist, for securing it to the body. Mounted on the front of thisportion 10 are secured means for embracing and holding the childswrists. In this form they comprise a pair of laterally spaced straps 13which may form loops to embrace the childs wrists, and secured to thesupport It) by any suitable means such, for example, as stitching 14.These straps have securing means at their opposite ends, such, forexample, as the male member 15 of a snap fastener at its upper endadapted to cooperate with the female members 16 of such a fastenermounted adjacent the other end, which when secured together form a loopto embrace the childs wrists. This means may be readily secured forholding the hands or detached for releasing them, and with more than onefastener different sized loops maybe formed. Between these two loops ismeans for covering and enclosing the hands when the wrists are sosecured by the holding means 13. In this form it is shown as a tubularmuff 17 of any suitable material open at its opposite ends and securedto the support 10 by any suitable means, such, for example, as thestitching 18. This is mounted on the support 10 between and in alignmentwith the loops formed by the elements 13 so that the hands may beenclosed within this muff or covering means when the wrists are securedby the elements 13, as indicated in Fig. 3. Means may also be providedin this muff or covering means to attract the childs attention andprevent its struggling while the hands are so held, and this maycomprise some toy or some soft element for the hands to play with. As anexample, a pair of bells or similar articles 19 are shown as enclosed inthis muff or covering means 17.

In the device of Figs. 4 and 5, the supporting member and tying meansfor securing it to the front of the body is the same as that of Figs. 1and 2 comprising the biblike member 10 and the ties 11 and 12. Thesecuring means for the hands i somewhat different, however. Theycomprise a pair of laterally spaced loops 20 which may be of elastic orfabric bands forming closed loops secured to the member 10 by anysuitable means, such as the stitching 21. The intermediate memberbetween them for covering and enclosing the hands held by the loops 20may be either the mufi type of enclosing means shown at 17 in Fig. l, orit could be a covering member 22 of flexible fabric or other suitablematerial secured at its upper edge to the member 10 by any suitablemeans, such as the stitching 23 and adapted to pass over the front ofthe hands with a. free unattached lower edge 24. This device will coverand enclose the hands by passing over in front and depending therefrom,and the same toys or other distracting articles 19 may be employedwithin this device as used in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the modified form of device shown in Fig. 6, instead of using thebib-like member 10 as the supporting means or support, thi supportcomprises a transverse strap 25 and the tie means 26 corresponding tothe ties 12 of the first forms extend from the opposite ends thereof andmay be tied around the body, preferably the waist, of the child tosecure this support to the front of the body, the same as in the firstforms. Laterally spaced and mounted onthis support are the securingmeans for the hands and wrists comprising the loops 27 to embrace andhold the wrists, secured to the support 25 by any suitable means, suchas stitching 27a, and these loops may be either the detachable snapfastener form of the loops 13 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or the elasticclosed loop type as shown at'20 in Figs. 4 and 5. In this form the meansfor covering and enclosing the hands held by these loops comprise closedpockets 28 mounted between these loops and secured to the support 25 byany suitable means such,for example, as the stitching 29, and thesepockets are each open at one side facing the adjacent loop 27 so that ahand thrust through a loop-27 can be at the same time inserted andenclosed in a pocket 28, and there may also be in these pockets a toy orsimilar distracting element 19 the same as in the other forms. It willalso be understood that instead of these pockets the type ofhand-enclosing'and covering mean used in the forms of Figs. 1 to 5 maybe used; that is, either the mutf17 of Figs. 1 and 2 or the overhangingor draped covering means 22 of Figs. 4and 5. Similarly, the enclosedpocket type of hand-enclosing means 28 of Fig. 6 may be used with eitherof the other forms in place of the muif 17 in Figs. 1 and 2 or theoverhanging drape type 22 of Figs. 4 and 5.

It will be seen from the above that this will provide a very simple andprotective means for holding the child hands during the feedingoperation, for example, to prevent interfering with this operation, andthat it is of a structure and arrangement which may be readily andquickly applied to the child and removed, and also that the securing andreleasing of-the hands may be easily and quickly performed. Also itprovides means whereby the attention of the child may be attracted to'atoy or similar means so that it will not object to having its hand sorestrained and will not struggle and attempt to-have them releasedduring the feeding operation.

Having thus set forth the nature of our invention, we claim:

1. In a device of the character described'for controlling an infantshands, a big-like support, ties secured to the support for tying aroundthe childs neck and body to secure the support at the front of the body,a pair of laterally spaced securing loops mounted on the support at thefront thereof and adapted to embrace the childs wrists and hold thehands at the front of the support, and cover means mounted on the frontof the support between the loops to cover and enclose the hands so held.

2. In a device of the character described for controlling an infantshands, a support, ties extending from the 0pposite sides of the supportand adapted to be secured around-the childs body to position the supportat the front thereof, a pair of laterally spaced securing loops mountedon the support adapted to embrace the childs wrists and retain the handsat the front of the support, and cover means mounted on the supportbetween the loops to cover and enclose the hands so retained.

3. A device of the character described according to claim 2 in which oneor more toys or the like are secured within the cover means.

4. In a device of the character described for controlling an infantshands while it is'being fed, a support, ties extending from the oppositesides of the support and adapted to be secured around the childs body toposition the support at the front of said body, laterally spacedsecuring loop mounted on the said support adapted to embrace thechilds-wrists and retain the hands at the front of the support, andmeans mounted on the support between said loops for enclosing andcovering the hands so retained.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany Feb. 18, 1910

